Running Yogini

I recently read on a web site ‘there is no running season’.  For many running athletes this may be true because it’s possible to run and compete year round. There is, however, an ebb and flow to training to reach peak performances at given events and then allow for recovery.   Right now, many of us are hunkered down from the cold and are forced to run indoors.  In general, our bodies are heavier in the winter, and I don’t mean we all have put on weight. We’re more earth bound during the winter months.  Bodies go through an innate process to slow for the winter for preservation and survival.  This time is good for reflection and evaluation to apply what was learned from recent running experiences and prepare for upcoming events.

This process is associated with the new year, as a time to reflect on all aspects of life and focus on goals for the future. I am not a resolution person, after all, Be The Best You Can Be Today, has to do with being the best person you can be in this moment.  This new year holiday season, however, did set a tone for 2010.

After I ran the Nice-Cannes Marathon in France a couple of months ago (click to read about my experience) I had no desire to have any set goals for 2010.  I just wanted to run and find the joy in running again.  Training for a marathon is a huge commitment of time and I was happy to have more free time and relax.  Well, so  much for that!  I’ve recovered and time has erased the memories of the stress of getting in training runs around life’s commitments and I’m looking forward to new challenges and accomplishments.

I had a friend run the Pikes Peak Ascent last August and she was telling me I should do it but I was hesitant to commit.  Plus I like road running and I haven’t done any trail running.  And this isn’t just any trail run.  It is a half-marathon, 13.1 miles, with roughly 8000′ vertical climb. The organizers say you should plan on it taking the same amount of time it would take you to complete a road marathon. I live and train at 6000′ feet , a good base to start, but this is going to require different training strategies than I have previously used.  So I couldn’t commit – yet.

While at the summit of Pikes Peak in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates was inspired and a poem came to life in her mind - now known as America the Beautiful.

Everest as motivation for a runner

During the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day the Discovery Channel had the new season of Everest: Beyond the Limit.  I had watched the series the last time it was on and was so awed at what the body was put through. One of the ultimate tests for the body putting it at death’s doorsteps, the closest earthly entrance to heaven’s pearly gates at 29,028′.  This endeavor is living the definition of pushing the body to the ultimate physical, mental, emotional and spiritual limit.

I have been told twice over the last two months I should read, Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer, written over 10 years ago about a fateful Mt. Everest expedition in May 1996.  A confluence of events made that year the deadliest in Everest expedition history. After discussing Everest at  a New Year’s Eve party my friend lent me her copy of the book and it took me less than 2 days to read. To use her words, it was captivating.  When I first started reading the book, I made the decision I was running the Pikes Peak Ascent.  Now the peak at 14,115′ is still 3500′ below Base Camp on Everest at 17,600′, but by the end of the book I was a little concerned about the commitment I had made.  A vertical climb of 8000′ is nothing to take lightly, but I know with proper training this is going to be a test beyond what I have experienced before.

Listen for your next inspiration

The important thing is I’m motivated again, and it feels really good.  It’s always important to pay attention, to listen and be alert, you never know where the next inspiration will come from. I would never have thought my inspiration would have come from Everest. I’m not a roughing-it-in-the-wilderness kind of gal, more of a guaranteed-hot-running-water type, and preferably inside a spa serving champagne.  I know this is an event I can’t slack on the training or I will feel the pain. I’m excited to step out of my comfort zone for the new challenge.

So take a moment and think about what would be a good challenge this year.  Yes it’s freezing outside, the snow is lingering, but it’s a great time to start putting in some easy miles and think about what you want to achieve this year. Set some new goals and find what will motivate you. Discover your new adventure for 2010.  A new decade, a new start. Go out and conquer your limits.